Faith Hope & Love Are Some Good Things He Gave Us
by abfirechick
Summary: Everyone is desperate for a Christmas Miracle. A warehouse fire and the disappearance of a small child is making it anything but merry. Can they save the spirit of the season? Johnny makes A.J. an offer she can't refuse! PLEASE LEAVE REVIEWS!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Emergency! The series and characters DO NOT belong to me. This is non profit and for entertainment purposes only.

It was less than a week before Christmas, and all through the house, just about every creature was stirring because Chet Kelly had cooked them dinner. It was in the early morning hours, only a few left before their shift would end.

"Hey Roy, where are the antacids? I can't find 'um anywhere!" Gage was attempting to keep his voice down, although he had been hearing the others creeping about, probably for the same reason.

"Here Johnny...I brought them in here, figured that it would be that much closer when I needed them again." Chet was far from a gourmet chef but that dish tonight could have peeled paint!

"Hey Pal, leave on top of the wall by your bunk, 'cause I think I'm gonna need them later!" Captain Stanley usually tried to refrain from criticizing any of his men; but that meal was something....actually he didn't know what to call it.

"Come on guys, it wasn't 'that' bad!" Chet was insulted; they just didn't know cuisine when they tasted it!

"SHUT UP CHET!!" This was shouted in unison.

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As they were getting changed into civilian attire the men were in discussion. This year A-shift was on duty on Christmas Day, so all their family plans were happening on Christmas Eve.

"So Marco is your mom cooking dinner again?" Chet asked, knowing that each year his mom did so. The great thing about that was Marco would bring in food that she made just for them.

"Yeah, she's still making most of it but this year my sisters have made her promise to let them help out. They told her that they have to learn sometime!" His Madre was very picky when it came to making her meals.

"So Cap., is your mother-in-law coming to your house again for dinner?" Roy tried not to smile while asking; everyone knew how much he 'loved' his mother-in-law!

"Actually this year she is going to her sister's house! She lives up state and they haven't seen each other in years. This is going to be the best Christmas Eve....ever!" A rather wicked grin had swept over Hank's face.

"So Mike are you and Loraine doing anything special?" Marco was always curious about the engineers' life; he rarely let anyone into any details.

"We are both going over to her brothers." As usual he didn't offer anything more. That was just Stoker's way; the others all loved him like a brother, just one with secrets. Kelly joked that maybe he was some kind of special agent undercover.

"I'm eating at Sandy's family. They all love me!" Since no one had yet bothered to ask, Chet figured he would volunteer his plans.

"Have they ever actually met you in person?" Gage just couldn't resist goading Kelly. The other laughed, yet another burn delivered upon Chet.

"Joanne and I are going to make dinner together and then open presents. Keep it simple." Roy hated being away from his kids on Christmas Day but at least this year he would be home for Christmas Eve. "By the way Johnny, you and A.J. are welcome to come over; in fact Chris and Jenny would prefer it!"

"I'll ask her and see if she had any plans. I don't that she does, we flew out to visit her parents last week. On the way back we stopped at her grandparents at Standing Rock Reservation." Although he attempted to act nonchalant about it, he loved to visit with her family. They treated him like one of their own, something he wasn't used to, except when it came to Roy's family of course.

On the way out to their vehicles Johnny pulls Roy aside, "I need you help BIG time! What should I get her?"

"You still haven't bought her gift yet? I always knew you liked to live life dangerously, but this is more like suicide!"

"I dunno....I haven't got a clue. She never asks for anything!" He loved her with all of his being but this was an agonizing mystery he didn't know how to solve.

"Alright, relax. I'll call you later and we'll go out for 'more' decorations." He loved to be festive as the next guy; however his dear wife was a junkie when it came to Christmas lights.

"Deal but say nothing to Jo, you know who the first person she's going to call is!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A.J. was puttering around her house, adding some gifts under the tree. She had always loved to decorate for Christmas, inside and out. The neighbors commented on how beautiful everything looked. Any air craft passing by could probably see them, in all of their splendor. Her house was located with in Los Angeles County but in a region that currently had not been merged with the County Fire Department. Her township actually bordered the running area of Station 51, so Squad 51 on occasion where there was a major accident or fire would cover it. Every paramedic was certified to treat patients in the entire County.

There was only one present that she had not bought yet. She had given her family their gifts last week. Joe had flown out with them to see everyone. She was grateful that she was able do that almost every year. She loved California but often missed all of them, as she was so close to everyone. Her paternal family was also thrilled to see her and Johnny. Everyone loved Johnny, which she could understand why of course. It was such a joy to watch him interact with everyone, he had finally found a huge family to accept and love him.

That one present or rather what on earth to get, was giving her a headache. Jo had promised that today they would go shopping and find something perfect for Johnny. She vowed not to tell Roy because frankly he wouldn't be able to keep that to himself and the last thing she wanted for him to find out about it. After all he had probably already found a gift for her.

She sat down next to the fireplace, subconsciously playing with the ring on her left hand. She still found herself staring at it all the time. The only time she didn't wear it was while she was on shift. Any rings could be a problem with the possibly of bodily fluids that she could come in contact with and when in a fire it was possible that the metal could burn her finger. She relaxed remembering that day a few weeks ago.........

_It was time for another rescue drill that was always coordinated with Rampart Hospital, a mass casualty mock incident. This was to make sure everyone was up to date on procedures and it never hurt to practice the skills involved. Thankfully the type of incident they were drilling on wasn't something that they encountered very often. They went all out, even using movie type special effects to emulate burns, amputations, etc. It really did a good job mimicking the real thing._

_Everything was running smoothly, the patients were all being triaged and treated efficiently. Doctors Brackett, Morton and Early, along with Dixie and a few other ER nurses were all there. They would have been called to the scene if this incident were real. Plus this way Brackett could monitor everyone's skills and see if anything needed to be could be changed to make patient care any better._

_Many of the 'patients' had been 'transported' to Rampart; there was only one that had just been 'rescued' and was being attended to by Gage and Wolfie. Since the others were done with their scenarios, they were all watching the two paramedics do their work. Among other Engines, Ladders, and Squads, 51 and 110 were part of the drill. _

_Just as if this were the real deal both of them were calm and collected, working as a team to save the rescue Annie. They had already gotten their orders from Rampart and were now treating the patient. A.J. had asked for some IV tubing, Johnny handed it to her across Annie. With out even looking, she took it but was then confused by the shape of it._

_She looked down and gasped, it was a small velvet jewelry box, with its lid opened. Inside was a dainty, white gold ring, with five gemstones. The middle one was a beautiful clear diamond; the others were alternating Garnets and Peridot, both of their birthstones._

_Looking over to him she saw he was on bended knee, with an infamous Gage grin lighting up his entire face, "If you think you can put up with me for the rest of our lives, will you marry me?" This was the first time that he ever truly surprised her._

_Stunned she just stared at him for a moment or two. Then her eyes were tearing up slightly, "10-4!" It was the only phrase that came to her reeling mind._

_As she hugged him tightly, everyone cheered; Roy's voice could be heard above the crowd. "It's about time!"_

Tears of joy ran down her face as she recalled the events of that day. She wasn't surprised that he wanted to spend his life with her and she certainly felt the same way. It was just that she had been content to let things as they were at least for the foreseeable future. It wasn't that she believed he thought ill of marriage; it just never really came up.

That was one of the many reasons she just had to find the perfect gift, but what was it? Little did she know sitting in his apartment, Johnny was thinking the very same thing.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Gage and DeSoto set out on their shopping expedition. Like most men, neither one of the two were exactly thrilled with the concept. Since they had no clue what to buy, the first stop was the local mall. All Johnny knew is that he must really; really love his fiancée to stroll through the dozens of stores.

"Roy, this is impossible! I mean I lucked out last Christmas; she needed a flashlight to go with her bunker gear that she uses at Liberty Fire Company and some other things of that nature. Plus, I happen to see her eying a pendant in that store that sold Indian jewelry." He just needed to find, well if he knew what he needed to find, he wouldn't be fighting the crowds in late December.

"Gee Junior, I am stumped too. Why didn't you look at that store again, if she loved that necklace so much?" He felt bad for his friend; he had been in this exact situation more than once in the years since he met his wife.

"I dunno, maybe if we can't find anything here I will. It's just that I was hoping it would be something new that she wouldn't expect. You know things were a lot easier when I was single!" Although that was true, he wouldn't trade his time with her for anything.

"So true partner but what would life be like with out our women?" Roy wouldn't dare use that term in the presence of either of them. He and Johnny found out hard way earlier in the year, what it was like to go with out 'happy fun time'.

"Hey, what about some frilly garments for her to wear in private?"

"I already got some things like that for her stocking stuffers!" He had a loopy grin thinking about that. Of course those would be opened when they were alone.

"Me too! In fact I got a couple of them for Jo!" The same naughty thoughts were racing through his brain as well.

They had been in several stores and even boutiques by this time. They were bombarded by women spraying cologne, pushing make up samples and they all hard the 'perfect' gift. Both of them were resigned to this taking all day.

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"Jo, what am I going to do? I mean he never really asks for anything....at least nothing I have to buy him!" They both were giggling.

"Look A.J, we'll find something soon, I promise. I have been through this more years than I care to count." She stressed almost every year. At least she had it easier; she could shop when Roy was on shift. Most times she had to take the kids with her but she had at least ten days every month to work on it.

"Maybe I could find him a Maltese cross pendant or a manly ring. He has a couple of rings that he wears." She wasn't sure about that but at least it was a start.

They stopped at one of the directory signs to locate the nearest jewelry store, stopping to get a snack and something to drink.

"I swear that the air system in here sucks the water right out of my body." A.J. was chewing on a hot dog.

"I think you're right, as soon as I walked in here, I needed a drink." Jo loved shopping far more than her friend; she could tell that if she could find a present, they would be out of here in an instant.

"Oh SHIT!!" A.J.'s eyes widened.

"What? What is it?" Jo was startled by her frantic response.

"MOVE, come with me!" He all but dragged her over to a stand selling sunglasses. Then she peered around a rack. "Look over there!"

"What on earth are you doing? You're freaking me out a little.....Oh man, what are _they_ doing here!!" She finally spied what A.J. had seen, Johnny and Roy were walking towards them!!

The efforts of the two women were unsuccessful. "Junior, walk this way, quickly!" When he didn't move fast enough, Roy pushed him into a book store.

"What has gotten into you, Roy?" He was a little alarmed; it wasn't like him to act this crazy.

"Shhhh, look over at the Sunglass Hut!" How on earth were they going to explain this?

"Roy....what am I looking at?" Then he recognized the face of Wolfie, "Oh crap! Do you think they saw us?"

A.J. and Jo hurriedly sped away from their hiding place, if the two men didn't call out their names, they were home free. When nothing happened the women sighed with relief.

When they saw their significant others continuing down the corridor, they knew they were in the clear. "Whew! That was close, Roy!!"

Not one of the four friends ever said one word to each other, since none of them wanted to explain what they were doing.

"A.J, we should get out of here, how would we explain what we're doing here?"

"Wait a minute....what are they doing here? It isn't as if they are window shopping...did Roy get your present yet?" The wheels were spinning around in Wolfie's head.

"Yes, he did because he hid it in the garage with his tools. He actually thought I wouldn't find it there!" Jo laughed at that idea.

"What did he get you?" She often thought that her friend should have been a spy or secret agent, she could locate a present with in a 5 mile stretch.

"Well Roy has gotten a little smarter, he wrapped it with paper we don't have in the house. I haven't figured out how to snoop with out him finding out!" She made a over exaggerated pout.

"You don't suppose that Johnny hasn't found my present yet, do you?" They did look a little panicked when they spotted them.

"I don't know, I guess that could be it. Then again there's no way of finding out with out admitting your lack of present too. I think we should concentrate on ridding you that problem. Where else do you want to look?" It was already past noon.

"Let's keep looking here in the mall. After all if we do run into them, it would be far more plausible for us to be here for another reason." A.J. was perhaps a little too curious as to what those two were doing.

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"Junior, you know we almost bit the bullet back there! Maybe we should just leave and check out that store where you bought her present last year." Roy oddly enough was just as invested in this as his partner.

"No Roy, there's something fishy here. Tell me, is there anything that would bring Jo out here. I know she isn't against shopping but now, with these huge crowds?" Johnny knew his Tehila well, shopping was definitely something she didn't consider a good time.

"What you are thinking that they are trying to accomplish the same thing as us?" Gage did have a point, although his wife did love shopping, she usually avoided crowds. "The only way to find out would be to ask and then if your wrong, the plan would go to hell in a hand basket."

"Your right Roy, let's see if we can stay covert. If we do run into them, we'll say we're looking for....I dunno know a part for the the '54 Pick up." He couldn't resist doing a some investigating.

Roy shook his head, thinking of the old addage, 'Curiousity killed the cat'. Then again he did wonder what Jo was up to. At least playing a game of cat and mouse was safer than running into burning buildings, wasn't it?

With the escalating population in the mall, they didn't cross paths again. Even though they each shopped for the remainder of the afternoon, neither A.J. or Johnny found what they were looking for. One more day gone before Christmas.

The day would quickly be forgotten by the next shift. It would prove to threaten not only lives, but the spirit of Christmas itself.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_**I added a small section to the end of Chapter 3, so you can check that out before reading this one. **_

The shift started out as any other. The day was cloudy and brisk. The men at Station 51 were all in a rather joyous mood, even Gage. He was still worried about finding that present but he still really loved the holiday. The three Captains had given permission to every shift to do some decorating. They even had a tree. Chet was being his usual self, trying to dictate the 'changes' that he believed desperately needed to be done to the already loaded evergreen.

"Chet, come on...you can't even fit one more thing on this poor tree. The whole thing is soon going to collapse under the weight of everything hanging on it!" Roy often wondered what Kelly's major malfunction was.

"Noooo, this tinsel should be over here, it is already too thick everywhere else!! He couldn't understand why they would question his ability to create the perfect tree.

The Klaxons sounded, saving Chet from the throttling that he was sure to get in a minute. "Engines 51, 86, 23; Truck 110, 14, 8; Squads 51, 110, 86 and 69, fire reported in a warehouse, 23 Lexington, cross street Bunker Ave.

In each station that was toned out, it took just a minute or two for all the apparatus to call in responding and get on the road. There is no such thing as a 'routine' fire, whether it is a single family dwelling or a foreboding warehouse. Each and every firefighter always kept this in the back of their minds, to forget so was basically guaranteeing disaster.

This particular fire was first due for Station 51; so Stanley was in command until one of the Battalion Chiefs arrived to take command. This was one of the truest tests of leadership for Captains and Chiefs alike. As the engine neared the structure it was obviously by the plume of thick black smoke that this was no false alarm. It was an historic building, at least 100 years old. Warehouse or factory fires are some of the most unpredictable, their age, size and contents always play a major role.

This building was five stories high and made of brick. From outward appearances it looked like it was only burning on the first floor but there would be no way to determine that with out sending guys in. Anyone working on the second floor would have to be extremely cautious; the intense heat from below could make it unstable. The other floors could be stable enough, at least for now. His hope was that the actual fire was only in a small section of the first floor, which would create the possibility of extinguishing it before the fire spread through out the entire building.

There was a man waiving them down as they arrived. "Hey, over here!"

"Sir, is there anyone inside?" As he did on every fire call, he was praying that the answer would be no.

"The first and second floors are unoccupied, the business that rented them moved out last month. We were working on the third floor. There were three other people working with me and I can't find any of them" There was understandable panic in the man's voice.

Using his finger Stanley asks the man to hold on for a second. "LA, this is Engine 51, I need you to hit for a third alarm assignment." His experience told him that it was already past a mere second alarm.

"Chet, Marco, take a cross lay and try to make entrance to the first floor." He trusted their judgment; they knew how to operate as safe as possible. He then gave incoming instructions to the apparatus arriving. Some would throw ladders to cover the second and third floors on all sides of the building. The ladder trucks would also be set up on all four sides, flowing water and providing emergency egress. The rest would either be taking hand lines in and flowing water from deck guns or providing water supply.

"Now sir, this is important, what kinds of businesses are there in this building?"

"The company that left built furniture, and we screen print T-Shirts." Hank's adrenaline kicked up a notch; this meant that there were untold amounts of chemicals in that monster, all of which were probably flammable and even explosive.

Gage and DeSoto came running up, along with Brice and Wolfie. Squad 110 had just arrived and needed orders. "OK, there are three workers unaccounted for. Wolfie, Brice you take the second floor. They may have tried to go down the stairs. Gage, DeSoto take the third floor. When the others get here, I'll send them to the upper floors. Take all precautions; there the chemicals in there are making this a ticking time bomb." The crews could see the worry lines creasing around his eyes.

Both crews ran towards the towering structure and ascended the ladders to get to their respective locations. Despite their adrenaline, strength and training the 80 plus pound gear always took a toll on them.

Gage and DeSoto began to search the third floor; there was no electricity but also only moderate smoke at present. This made searching a little easier but not by that much. Each floor was huge, the only saving grace was that it was basically was only three large rooms to search.

"Are you finding anything, Johnny?" Roy loved his job but hated these types of buildings; so much could go wrong, rapidly.

"Nothing here....you wanna take this second room and I'll go on to the one next door?" The floor was cool and only a haze of smoke was intruding through the floor boards.

"Alright, I'll join you at that doorway."

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"Craig, you alright?" She had just heard him cry out a few words of profanity.

"Yes, I just cracked my knee on some crap that's lying around." So far they had come across cans and barrels of various chemicals, all of which were not very friendly when they came into contact with the rising temperatures. "I think I'll live." He voice had a smile in it.

"Well then let's get through this. I doubt we have much time to spare." Since her first weeks with the department she had learned early to hate these types of spacious buildings.

They kept moving through out the maze of chemicals, racks of wood and pieces of furniture. Their knees and heads were going to be bruised and battered till they completed the search.

"Wolfie....I got one....you still with me?" His alert went into high gear when she didn't answer immediately.

After another few seconds she replied. "Damn!" Her explicative was followed by a crashing sound.

"What the hell was that? Are you alright?" He screamed through his mask, which muted his voice considerably.

"I'm OK; one of those damn racks just fell down around me!" Her helmet had taken the brunt of the impact on her head, although she was still going to have one pounding headache later. "Get him over to the ladder...the heat is building up her fast."

"Can you make it over here?" He had a bad feeling come over him.

"I'm fine, look we haven't covered the last room yet. You take him over and get him down. Then come back up here, I'll finish searching this last one." The closest window to go out of happened to be the one they climbed up on to get in.

He didn't like it but knew she was right about one thing. The heat was starting to escalate, which meant they might not have a second chance to find another victim, if there was another on this floor.

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Gage almost missed the lady that attempting to crawl of the room he was in. This was the office apparently. The other areas they had already searched were filled with boxes of T-shirts, along with the machines there were hundreds of paint cans.

"Hey, hold on! I'm with the fire department, let me help you!" She struggled a little, until she realized what he had said.

Guiding her towards the entrance, he then leans out the door crying out for Roy. "Can you hear me? I've got a victim!!"

"I'm here Junior. We've covered this floor; let's get them out of here!" Roy had already heard confirmation of another victim being found by Squad 110.

They had found the ladder and another fireman on it, which was helping the barely conscious woman get down on the ladder. Stepping onto the first rung, her mind cleared. "Danny! He was in the room near the stairs, getting supplies!! Help him!"

Johnny looked at Roy, they made sure Franco had the woman and they turned to go back and research the area she described. They could still run, the smoke was thickening but the heat had stayed level.

Luckily it didn't take long to locate him. He had managed to pass out right beside a window, one that also had a ladder rising to it. The stair well was directly to their left. Davidson from the 110 was made his way up the ladder to assist them.

Their feet rocked out from under the two paramedics, as an explosion sent shock waves through the floor below them. They each realized who was searching on that floor.

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She had just finished up the last room and had come back to where Brice had taken the victim. The stair well was right next to the window. Craig was several rungs down nervously awaiting his partner. He relaxed when he saw her face.

Looking behind her she spotted the flashlight, she had dropped it. Turning away from the window for a second, she went after it. Before she could pick it up she was blown back a couple hundred feet, when some of the numerous cans exploded.

A.J. was alive but unconscious, unaware of the deterioration conditions going on around her.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

All of the second floors windows shattered, shards of glass showering the men working around the building. By then radio communication had informed command that all of the victims were located and out of the building, Gage and DeSoto had lowered their second victim to Davidson. So minutes before the explosion the plan had went from offensive to defensive, all other crews had been working their way out of the warehouse.

Brice was over half way down the ladder when the multitude of cans exploded from the intensifying heat. It launched itself away from the building, sending him to the ground below. He fell about ten feet but was able to land on his feet and then tuck himself into a roll, somewhat lessening the impact.

"Holy Shit!" Deep inside he was almost afraid to go back up to look for her. The percussion that followed the blast could very well have killed her instantly. So many thoughts raced through his head, all in mere seconds. She was really one of the only real friends he had. A few years ago he would have been one of the majority that would have sworn up and down that women could never be firefighters. The first few shifts as partners he had convinced him just how wrong his assumptions were.

"MAYDAY, MAYDAY......Command this is Squad 110; my partner's down, she was still on the second floor prior to the explosion!" Although his mind told him one thing, his gut was telling him not to give up on his friend just yet. He was swatting away Chet's hands of concern as he awaited a reply.

"Squad 110; what was her exact location?" The Chief's heart was pounding so loudly that it was hard to hear the voice coming from the HT. This didn't look good but he learned long ago never to count this firefighter out.

"We're on side Bravo, second floor, center window; I'm going back to get her!" He was half expecting to get orders not to do so; the chances of critical instability were near 100%.

A hand gripped his arm. "I'm coming with you!" Chet Kelly would not be persuaded otherwise. Grateful for the help Brice simply nodded a thank you.

"Squad 110; take extreme caution. You sound out that floor, if there is even any question, don't take a chance. Getting yourself killed isn't going to save her, you got that?" These kinds of situations were making him prematurely gray.

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The momentum from the explosion knocked their legs out from under them. The wood planks seemed to dance and shimmer as they tried to absorb the energy from the blast. As they hit the floor, they instinctively rolled towards the outside walls. When floors collapse most times they do so in the center or weakest point first. Plus if one did occur being close to the wall also meant being close to windows and a way out.

Brice's Mayday was echoing through Gage and DeSoto's ears. They both knew that allowing their emotions to cloud their judgment would serve no purpose. They needed to think it through and make sound decisions.

They had been close the main stairwell before it went off. One choice was to flee for the nearest ladder, the second was to attempt to get to the stair well and see if they could navigate to the second floor and find her. The second provided the greatest risk, however saving on of their own was worth it, each and every time. Not to mention that she was more than just a colleague. Besides if they didn't at least try, it would haunt them for all eternity. In the same turn, the floor was most likely unstable and getting themselves killed would only make a bad situation worse.

"Roy, I need to find her! You get out of here; Jo will never forgive me if I get you killed." He wanted his friend's help desperately but he couldn't be responsible for his death either. He was willingly to risk it all for her; he would rather leave this world than lose her now.

"Partner's never leave each other and I sure as hell am not starting now! Jo would expect no less of me. I refuse to lose either of you two! Now you listen closely....we'll try the stairs as see what we are up against. If we can we'll get to her that way....if not we'll find another....do you hear me?" Roy had to make his _brother_ understand.

"Command this is Squad 51; we are at the stairwell on the third floor. We are going to see if it's clear. Then we'll proceed down and start searching from there!"

"10-4; 51. You keep in contact; let me know what it's like in there." If there was one thing the Chief knew, it was that in his many years of service sometimes faith was the only thing that sustained him.

Along with the two of them and Brice and Chet, dozens of firefighters were doing the same. Containment of this fire was unlikely but if sheer will power could keep it at bay to aid in the rescue of their _fire chickee_ they were going to do just that.

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Laying there she was out cold. The concussion from the blast had actually saved her life, throwing her clear of the worse of the debris. She had been blown back against the door to the stair well. Some of the cans and barrels had exploded; liquid from the others had splattered, creating pools and streams of raging flames. One of the miracles that had saved her from instant death was that the origin of explosion was on the opposite end of the floor.

Just like in a dramatic Hollywood movie, the flames were snaking their way, slowly slithering towards her. Only unlike the stereotypical hero of the flick it looked as though she wouldn't be able to magically arise in time to save herself.

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Roy and Johnny had made their way back to the stairwell. The floor was now becoming increasingly hot, the smoke was thickening. The now had their air masks on, breathing in the cool, crisp air. They had to strain to open the door, slightly. What greeted them was a nightmare; the stair well was completely caved in. They would have no choice but to find another way.

Johnny swore that he could hear the second hand on his wrist watch, tick.....tick.....tick.... She needed him to stay in the game; he had to stay in the zone. Losing her was simply not an option.

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Brice and Kelly were creeping their way around the second floor, praying that their friend was only a short distance into the room. The hourglass was draining, the grains of sand marking how little time they had left before this would turn into _search and recovery_.

Each one of them was continuously sounding out the floor, to avoid further collapse. Their minds were silently calculating how much time had slipped by. In actuality it was a just a few minutes, to the hopeful rescuers it seemed like forever.

The remainder of the cans around them was hissing and popping sounds were becoming like a symphony of impending danger. Both men turned to each other, saving themselves had just become a priority. They flung themselves towards the wall hugging it for dear life as they moved towards the light of the nearest window. One at a time they all but leapt unto the ladder, straddling the rungs, turning out their feet, allowing them to literally slide down the ladder. The secondary explosion evaporating the last remainder of hope.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The hissing and popping sounds were beginning to invade the fog of darkness that her mind had been floating in. The sounds seemed very distance, like part of a dream. She was trying to center her thoughts, to focus on where she was and what was happening.

The sounds were becoming louder and more persistent. Only her mind didn't seem able to force her body to move. She felt a hand slide under the collar of her coat, pressing down against the side of her neck. Then she heard a sighs of relief. Firmly yet gently she was lifted up off the floor and had a sensation of being carried. A familiar voice said, "Relax we've got you."

The two rescuers elation was trumped by their fear. The heat was becoming harder to ignore, the visibility was almost non existent. They had at least reached an outside wall, as fast as possible they were closing in on the nearest point of egress, the window. Another miracle would occur if it was one with a ladder rising up to it. Many dangers faced responders in warehouse and factory fires. Many like this one were made of stone or brick accompanied with lack of windows. This also made ventilation techniques harder.

The sounds of disaster were becoming more frequent, telling them that it was now or never. One of them took position on the ladder that was thankfully there, the second one placed A.J. onto his shoulders. Giving his partner time to partially descend, he then took his place on the ladder.

As the last man's feet touched the ground on the Charlie side of the building the air above them glowed with the flames the escaped from the secondary explosion.

Each man stopped for only a moment or two to stare at one another that had been closer than either of them had ever cared to be. Then taking A.J. into their arms they held her close, her shoulders draped across one of their broad shoulders, one of her legs gripped in each of their arms.

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Roy was standing beside his best friend, taking in the site of the inferno. They were unable to find another way in, the rest of the few windows on the second floor were engulfed by the orange glow of flame. Their prayers seemed unanswered when they saw one by one each of the rescue teams coming back empty handed. All hope seemed lost when Brice and Chet bailed out of the structure.

Desperately attempting to hold himself in check Johnny stood there staring. What was amazing was that he felt no despair; in fact he was still certain that she was safe. Roy appeared to be reading his partner's mind, bringing a sense of peace to him as well. One of the marvels of the connection his two friends shared was this almost psychic bond. He trusted him, if Johnny could have faith, then so could he.

As they continued to look on, coming around the building were two figures, carrying a third. Captains Stanley and Morgan arrived at the triage area, gently placing Wolfie down on the tarp. A thankful Johnny glanced upwards with barely audible whisper. "THANK YOU LORD."

The Danny and Hank cautiously held onto her, as Johnny and Roy removed her helmet and face mask, which had miraculously remained intact. She had been breathing the air from the cylinder the entire time. Her air pack and gear were removed so they could check for any further injuries.

Going into full paramedic mode, they began to take her vitals. Roy grabbed the BP cuff while Johnny took her pulse, which was strong and rapid. Her respiration was with in normal ranges for the situation. He then took out his pen light and shinned it in her eyes, testing her pupil response. With a start she shook her head, blinking her eyes in annoyance.

"Hey, do you mind? It's not as if I don't already have a headache!" It came out more a whiny growl.

Brice had seen the commotion and was racing over to where the crowd had gathered. Upon pushing his way through, his eyes beheld something more beautiful that the most brilliant sun set, his partner alive and well enough to be complaining.

"Look I said I am fine! Can't a girl take a little nap, once and a while with out catching hell for it?" The growl was accompanied by a teasing smile this time.

"Now you listen to me Missy! You just lie back down and let us examine you! I have been doing this same dance with your finance for a long time and he has yet to win, so what makes you think that you will?" He tried in vain not to let his voice show any amusement. He was just happy to see her so responsive.

With an over exaggerated sigh and a mock salute, she lowered herself back onto the tarp. "Yes sir!" There was a lively twinkle in her eyes.

As he professionally finished the examination with Roy's help, Johnny could only imagine once again what life would be like with out his Tehila. Lesser men would not have been able to deal with the constant stress of wondering if she was going to live to see the end of a shift. Actually lesser women couldn't either, Joanne DeSoto was in many ways one strong lady. He had always known that but since giving his heart away he realized he hadn't known the half of it.

Despite Wolfie's protesting, the paramedics convinced her to lie down on the stretcher for the ride to Rampart. They were confident that she was alright but why take any chances until the Docs could do all their tests. Brice rode in with Johnny. Normally, he would do anything not go anywhere with the man but in this instance he had actually suggested it. He had grown to have a whole new respect for him; he was a good partner to her and a fine paramedic. Besides, Brice was just worried about her as he was.

The fire eventually consumed the entire building gutting it. The rest of the companies stayed on scene for quite a while. Roy drove the squad to Rampart and Squad 110 driven by Kevin Davidson. Davidson had promised Captain Morgan to get updates on their chickee.

When arrived at Rampart General they were greeted by the many of the usual crew. Kel Brackett, Joe Early and of course the one and only Dixie McCall. To A.J.'s dismay, Brackett ordered x-rays and the usual diagnostic tests to check for any type of head injury. Knowing better than to be anything other than a model patient, she laid there and kept her irritations to herself.

The four men stood by the emergency desk, awaiting confirmation that their friend was alright. It was awkward, since Craig Brice wasn't exactly known for being a chatter box. He was staring straight at the floor, not moving a muscle, except for the one in his jaw, flexing relentlessly.

"I should never have left her behind." His guilt was something that all four men had in common. They had each been in similar situations before, which is almost a given in their profession.

"Brice.....Hey, listen to me. You had the victim; you had to get him to safety, right? You stayed on the ladder to wait for her, you were right there the whole time. She was ready to come down, it was just stupid timing. She knows the risks, the same as us." Gage caught the other man's eyes giving him reassurance.

"Johnny and I have both been in this situation before, you have too. No one is going to blame you, especially not A.J. You did the right and only thing that you could have done." With a sly grin he continued. "She's gonna be fine. Soon she'll be hard at work trying to set you up on more blind dates!" Roy saw him start to blush, Craig had hoped that little piece of information wasn't a well known fact.

Brackett and Early came down the hallway together; Kel was filling him in on his niece's condition. Joe was family which meant when it came to anything serious, ethics didn't allow him to treat her.

Kel took in the faces of the men, reminding him of the strong bond that they all shared. Firefighters are a breed all their own. He respected each and every one of them but could never quite understand what motivated them to be so passionate about laying their lives on the line every single call.

"OK gentlemen, you can all take a deep breath! The lady is fit as a fiddle. She'll have one throbbing headache for a while but there was no skull fracture or concussion. That pretty head must be made of steel!" After all this time Brackett was one of many who couldn't even remember what life was like before she came barreling into it.

They all visually relaxed, what their training told them had been confirmed. In this moment all was right with the world. Dixie came out of the lounge and hurried over to the group.

"Do you guys know what was being stored in that building?"

"Lots of different things, chemicals, paint, T-Shirts....." Davidson replied.

"No besides that, the guy on the news said that they were storing the donations for the 'Toys for Toys' program! It was drop off center for Carson and the surrounding area!" She was almost in tears thinking about the children who were going to go with out.

"Oh Dear GOD! That is horrible! What are they going to do?" A.J. had just walked up beside Johnny.

"The spokesmen for the program said as of now they don't know how they could possibly replace them in time!"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Since Wolfie was cleared to return to duty, they all did just that. Both teams of paramedics returned to the scene to see if their services were needed or if they should call in 10-8 and return to their stations. In either case Squad 110 had to drop off Davidson and inform Captain Morgan of her return to the shift.

Driving up they were saddened by what the fire had devoured. _Toys for Tots_ was a program that had been started in the late 40's in Los Angeles. A retired Marine had come up with the idea and started it on his own dime. A couple of years later the Marines adopted it and it became a national campaign. They did so much good. Children whose families were struggling were given the chance to enjoy Christmas. Of course Christmas isn't just about gifts but to families who had to fight for the most basic things in life, it was a GOD send. It reminded all of them that many people were really only one or two paychecks away from being the exact same situation as the families that 'Toys for Tots' helped, especially in this economy.

The question on all of their minds was what they could do to help. A.J. knew that she had been saved by a Christmas miracle of her own, so she in turn had to help supply one for the kids. The answer to that question was the hard part of the equation.

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Captain Morgan was standing again with Stanley and Chief Saunders, discussing the response and how the call had been handled. This was something that was done after every fire call, especially where there was injury or loss of life. The rest of the crews on scene were finishing overhaul. That is where they check for additional hot spots that could reignite later, possibly endangering other buildings in the area. Then they would roll up hoses, put tools away, etc.

"You handled the initial command efficiently, the exact same way I would have." Saunders had more respect for his Captain than Hank was even aware of.

"Thanks Chief, I was grateful when you got here. With all of the chemicals inside, it was especially nice to have your experience here." Hank knew someday becoming Chief was something that he wanted to at least consider.

"When I took the rank of Captain, I didn't bargain for firemen like Wolfie!" The mock look of exasperation made the other officers laugh out loud.

"Then you understand where my gray hairs are coming from?" Saunders ran his sooty fingers through his hair. Chiefs were predominately only command on scenes such as these but he always believed in being right in the thick of things with his guys, if he could help in any way. "I thought that there could never be a firemen like Gage, boy was I wrong!" That brought forth more laughter.

"Hey Cap.!" He glanced behind him to see his paramedic coming up to him. "Docs say my iron skull doesn't even have a dent!" She flashed him that smile, the one that let 'The Gremlin' get away with her little paybacks involving the rest of his men. He of course would never admit how much he enjoyed the jocularity.

Addressing both the Chief and her Captain she continued, "You want us here doing overhaul or back at the station? We brought Davidson back, just 'cause he was whining that he didn't wanna walk!"

"Both you and 51 can return, we won't be here too much longer and I'll start sending back the other alarm boxes soon." The Chief was relieved that he racked up yet another fire with out losing any of his guys. In his career he had never had to deal with that as a commander and he prayed daily that he never would.

"Hey Chief, can I ask you something?" Wolfie had that extra nice smile plastered on her face.

"Was it is?" In the few years she had been with the department, he had learned quickly interpreted that _look_.

"Did you know that the _Toys for Toys_ program was storing their donations here? The ones for the Carson area?"

"Oh my word, that's too bad!" Stanley knew there were so many children that wouldn't get any gifts this year, if something wasn't done fast.

"I know, the man on TV said they didn't know how they were going to replace them in time. That's what I wanted to ask you. Do you think we could get authorization to make the stations or even headquarters as temporary drop off locations? Most of the stores that were doing it stopped because the normal drive is over. It would help them out, I'm sure, plus it would be good PR for the department." She was fairly sure the Chief could make it happen.

"You know that is a great idea! I will make some phone calls, and then someone will contact the organization and TV stations! This just might work!" Saunders knew that the Powers that Be couldn't turn an opportunity like this down. The department was already known for its charitable works.

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The rest of the shift was uneventful for both stations, which was fine by the firefighters. No matter how many fires they fought or how good of shape they were in, it was still exhausting work. They were grateful to get full nights sleep. Now that the adrenaline had subsided, Gage was left again to wonder about what gift he could get her. Most of the women he had known before would have been hinting if not demanding what they would want him to buy. This was one of numerous ways that she was so different. He knew that if he couldn't find anything 'special' and only had the few small items he had bought, she would be happy with that. That aside he fell asleep dreaming about what she would look like in one of those smaller gifts.

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Several miles away, A.J. lie awake in her bunk, debating over the very same thing. She was usually very good at picking gifts for people. She really enjoyed doing it, seeing their faces when they opened her gift was something that she treasured. She was frustrated, she had never had this much trouble before. She knew exactly what to get him last year, for his birthdays, etc. What was so different about this year? Her headache had was no longer throbbing and was reduced to a dull ache. She rarely took any kind of medication, even over the counter products. In this instance, she had accepted the aspirin Brice had given her. Giving into her exhaustion, she drifted off to sleep.

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The next day came none too soon. Everyone loved their job, if they didn't it was pretty stupid to stay in this line of work. Since it was so close to Christmas it was a relief to have the time to be with their families and finish up any preparations that had yet to be done.

Chief Saunders was true to his word, at the shift changed it was announced that the TV stations were reporting that all department station houses would be accepting donations, as well as the Sheriff's department. This had everyone in the Christmas spirit once again.

The best part was that the department heads had volunteered all of the stations to deliver the toys on Christmas Day! They told the _Toys for Tots_ people that if there was a high volume of calls the chiefs would do it themselves if necessary. Everyone volunteered to come in off shift if need be. Of course it was their family time but they could always take their families with them to do it.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The A-Shift had off for the next two days. The last they would have free time before Christmas Eve, they would actually get off at 8AM on that day. Joanne had the idea to give some of the kid's toys that they no longer played with. Most of them look brand new because she swore they only touched them once or twice before abandoning them in the toy box.

Johnny and A.J. were off to the different stores to purchase some new toys. They each went their own way to save time; there were several stores to check out. The plus was that although their main mission was the children it gave them extra time to seek out what had eluded them so far. A.J. promised to also buy some for Roy and Jo; they would pay her back for them.

"I'll meet up with you in two hours, is that enough time?" A.J. knew that yet another thing they had in common was that he was not too fond of shopping either.

"No problem, any longer than that, I would probably lose my mind!" Johnny was not too fond of crowds, particularly rushed, impatient, rude ones.

As they feared the lines were longer than the rides at Disney Land! The two met back up and still hadn't covered all of the stores. Many of the ones they had checked individually were sold out of so many things, they covered the others together. What neither of them noticed was the packages the other was hiding.

The pair agreed to then meet at the DeSoto's the next day to help him refurbish some of the items like some older tricycles, skateboards and sleds. It was no secret that every other fireman at both stations was doing very much the same thing.

"Hey Roy, you have more of this red paint?" Johnny was looking not so tidy with red dotting on side of his face and shirt.

"It's by the back door to the garage. Junior, you know the mission is to get some of that on the wagon, right?" Looking over at Wolfie he could see that her color of the day was the bright blue paint that was going on the skateboard.

"Hey A.J., are you two being bopsie twins today?" He was amused even more because the paint made her eyes change to almost a solid electric blue.

"Never question the madness of a genius! This is going to be a real work of art!" She grinned back at him.

"You know Roy; you aren't exactly looking prim and proper over there!" Johnny pointed his finger at his partner.

"Anyone want any coffee? A.J., I brewed some mint tea for you." She knew her friend could not stand the black beverage. "Just try to not ruin all of my mugs!" She was having a great time chipping in to help out.

They continued their work, even Chris and Jenny chipped in. Their parents had them go through their toys and choose what they wanted to give away. This would be a great method of teaching them to share as well. The day was filled with laughter and singing as they played Christmas music while they were working. Although no one would ever accuse them making a dog howl, it was certainly not an audition for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

It took nearly all day but they had enough items to fill up all of their vehicles. Everything would be dropped off at the stations tomorrow.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The following shift started out as a festive one. From all reports the frantic fund drive was coming along nicely. Several stores and businesses had either donated toys or monetary donations so the 'Toy for Toys' people could run out and purchase more. The fire department and local police and sheriff's departments were doing more than their share as well. The public was coming through as well, several stations had reported in that they were being overrun by stuffed animals and such. This was great news; it appeared that for so many kids, Christmas would be saved.

They had already responded to several nuisance calls, mostly involving small kitchen fires. Every year public service announcements are made about the dangers of unattended cooking, and every year many people fail to learn that lesson. Fortunately, none were too serious or caused that much damage.

On these days in December the already congested traffic in the area only gets worse. Drivers are impatient and leave for their destination as the last possible moment. That accompanied with the Bah Humbug Syndrome makes this one of the worst seasons for serious vehicle accidents.

The trend held true when just before noon the Klaxons sounded their song. " Chestnut and Alverta Streets; Chestnut and Alverta; a vehicle accident with reported entrapment; Engine 51, Squad 51; Squad 110; time out 11:56."

As Captain Stanley in 'Big Red' came upon the scene, they were greeted by six vehicles that looked like they had come from the demolition derby. There was some smoke rising from the larger full size van, the other car was a small compact, which was even more so now if that was even possible. The others involved were slightly less damaged. Several people were standing around looking dazed, some of whom at least some of their injuries were obvious.

The intersection was typical of the area; narrow streets that were never really designed for the size of modern vehicles or the sheer amount of traffic. It was downtown, lots of businesses; which meant flocks of gawkers.

A woman was running towards them before they even came to a stop. "My husband! He's trapped inside; I couldn't get the steering wheel off of him! HELP HIM PLEASE!!" Her face had some minor bruising and cuts that were bleeding heavily.

Captain Stanley called in requesting two ambulances to respond in. "Roy, you and John check on the other victims."

Wolfie and Brice had just walked up to report in. "You guys take care of her and the husband when we get him out."

"Marco get whatever you need to get this guy out; Chet you help him but drag a hose line off, in case any of these cars take off."

Turning back to the pleading woman, "Ma'am, listen my men are going to work on getting your husband out. You just let the paramedics take a look at you." His voice was gentle yet firm. Family members can easily make things worse by becoming hysterical and getting in the way.

Each person did their jobs with professionalism and proficiency as they did on each and every call; it was second nature by now. After all a large portion of their dispatches every year were motor vehicle accidents.

The rest of the people involved were not seriously hurt. Most choose not to accept medical attention, so Gage and DeSoto worked on getting them to sign off for their records. The man in the van was transported per Rampart's orders with no paramedic on board.

While Brice was attempting to get vitals and an assessment from the entrapped man; A.J. was patching up his wife.

"What's your name?"

"Alice, my name is Alice. How is my husband? Is he going to be OK?"

"We are going to do everything that we can for him, I promise you that." One of the first rules of emergency medicine is that you never lie to family or friends by promising a good outcome.

After checking her over, it appeared that her only injuries were to her face, probably from flying glass. Auto glass doesn't shatter on impact, rather spidering into larger pieces, which still just as easily slice up the skin.

"Alright Alice, now I am going to ask you a few questions and you tell me the answers, OK?" Observing her, A.J. noticed that she was slurring her speech a little and she seemed a bit distracted. There were several explanations other than a head injury. It was probably more from shock and worry about her husband.

"Uhhhh....yes...alright...." Alice didn't want to take her eyes off of the car.

"What is your husband's name?"

"Greg"

"What day of the week is it?"

"Tuesday."

"Other than your face, does anything else hurt you anywhere else?"

"No...What is taking them so long...." She stopped in mid thought. "Abby!" She spun around, her eyes darting over the scene. "OH MY GOD, where is she?"

"Who's Abby?" Was this someone real that should have been there or was it a sign of concussion?

"My daughter! How could I forget her? Oh PLEASE, help me find her!! She was in the car and I lifted her out, I thought it would be safer. Then I told her to wait right here!! Now she's gone!! This is my fault, Oh GOD please, where is she!!" Hysteria was shinning in her eyes.

"Calm down! I need you to calm down! I know you're scared but you have to let me help you! Seeing Stanley she yells for him. "Cap. You had better get over here!"

Hank turned at the sound of his medic's voice. If fear was in her tone, it was for good reason. A pit in his stomach was already forming as he rushed over to her.

"Alice...Alice....look at me. Now tell me about her. What does she look like? What was she wearing? How old is she?"

"She was wearing green pants, a red shirt and green jacket. Oh, and she had a little Santa hat on. She has blond hair and blue eyes. My baby...my precious baby where is she? What have I done...this is my fault. PLEASE FIND HER!" Her eyes roamed over where the men were still trying to free her husband.

"Cap. Have you seen a little girl anywhere? She just told me that she pulled her out of the car after the wreck and now she's gone!" Her voice was back under control. As much as she loved children, she could only imagine what was running through his mind, probably thoughts of his own kids.

"Oh man!" His eyes located what they were looking for. "Vince I need you here!"

Vince sprinted over as fast as his legs would carry him. "What is it, Hank?"

"We have a missing child. She was with this lady beside that car and now we don't know where she is." His paternal instincts were in high gear.

"Ma'am, when was the last time you saw her?"

"Right after the crash. I managed to get out of the car, my husband was unconscious but I could reach Abby. I figured it was safer for her to be out of there just in case." The tears were spilling on her cheeks.

"Vince I already got a description from her." A.J. subtly motioned to him that she couldn't take too much more.

Alice began to collapse in A.J.'s arms. "Find my baby....please....HELP HER....she's only four years old!!"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

A.J. was cradling Alice in her arms as she was moderating between sobbing and screaming hysterically. She had no idea what to do with her. She needed to go into to Rampart and have one of those numerous cuts stitched up, other than that physically she was fine.

Upon hearing the screams of the woman, Roy and Johnny ran over towards the most mangled car. They saw that the man had just been released from the car and was being _packaged_ by Brice, Chet and Marco. Brice was on the Bio Phone with Dr. Morton, getting instructions for treatment. The victim was unconscious with several angry looking lacerations and bruising.

Vince had already notified his superiors and the other patrol units in the city and surrounding areas. Search parties would be coordinated, involving law enforcement, family, friends and any one else who would show up to help. It was far more efficient to involve everyone right off the bat, this way they could track which areas were already searched and when.

Hank called into county to inform them of the current situation. The units themselves would normally have been returning shortly, their work was done here. The dispatcher would relay this to all of the units on the road and the stations to let them know to keep an eye out whenever they were on a call or even at the station. There was no way to know what direction she had gone.

The news stations would also get the information. Their resources were far more wide spread with the viewers that tuned with every broadcast. There were several main concerns; being so young, she could be run over by any car on the road, the weather was fair and a little balmy now and would turn below freezing by night fall and perhaps even worse was the fact that she could be picked up by someone who's intentions were not to be a Good Samaritan.

A.J. finally convinced Alice to go with her husband on the ambulance. Brice was going to ride in with them; she would bring the squad to Rampart. That was the most frustrating, she could stay for a short time and drive around searching the immediate area but then she would have to pick up her partner and go back to their regular running area. As much as she wanted to focus on finding Abby, they couldn't deny the other members of the public that they served. She prayed that not only would they find her but find her unhurt in any way, shape of form. Unfortunately, there are people in this world who given the chance would do unimaginable things to a child, even one so young.

The men of 51 had a little more freedom to become part of the search party. They had to of course respond to any emergency calls they had but this was part of their area.

Stanley gathered his guys around, "Alright, I cleared it with the Chief; we can stay out on the streets and be part of the organized search. However any call comes out and we answer it, deal? Now, the engine is going to stay on the main streets and the squad is going to start with the back alleys. You find anything at all and you call it in right away."

They all went to their respective vehicles are began slowly, cautiously driving through the streets. Carson was most certainly not even close to the size of Los Angeles but still large enough to make this search a preverbal needle in a haystack.

None of them could even begin to fathom what little Abby must be going through. She was so small and alone, wandering around in a strange place, asking for her mommy and daddy. She had to be terrified to say the least. The training and experience of the paramedics had them praying that one top of everything else; she wasn't suffering from any injuries that had not been noticed by her mother.

"Roy, how are we going to spot her amongst all of this?" He motioned with his arm at the window.

"To be honest Junior, I just don't have a good answer." Roy was usually an optimistic person but this was just too much. If he didn't know better, he could have sworn that the Grinch was running around frantically trying to steal Christmas.

"You would think that with all of these people out and about, that one or two of them would notice a small child wandering around by herself. Hell, how many bystanders were there at the scene!" His voice was echoing in the cabin of the squad.

"I know...I know it doesn't make a lick of sense to me either! I am not trying to judge her but what possessed her to just leave that child standing there, alone. I mean hold onto her, take her hand and walk with her!"

"She was in shock Roy; she might even have a head injury we really don't know. We're trained for this kind of stuff and sometimes it knocks us for a loop, especially if family is involved." Johnny wasn't saying anything that Roy didn't already know. "Who knows how we would react in the same situation, I just pray I never have to find out."

"You're right Johnny, I know you're right. I just...I can't get Chris and Jenny off of my mind; picturing them alone and scared half to death." The very idea made his stomach churn. "What if the wrong person finds her?"

"Please Roy; try not to think like that! I can't bear to go there." He was himself doing everything in his power not to picture what the sweet teenage face of his fiancée in her moments of torment and terror must have looked like. The images of something like that happening to little Abby; he simply refused to give in to them.

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A.J. was taking the long way back to Rampart. The ambulance had left with her partner a short while before she had left the scene; which gave her few minutes to spare before returning to get him. She was a fervent believer in the power of prayer and for the last week she had been doing so in overtime.

"Dear LORD, please comfort Abby and her parents. I know you are with her now. Let us here your voice...to open our minds to see the signs that you will show us." She was Christian by faith but also held onto many of the traditions and beliefs of her Sioux heritage. Many times in her life they had also helped save her life or aided her in saving other lives.

She tried squelching her imagination. It was leading her to a dark and scary place, a black hole that she had existed in for a period of time. She would do anything and beyond to keep this little girl from ever spending time in that kind of dimension of Hell.

She backed the squad into beside of the admitting doors to the ER. She collected herself before proceeding inside to retrieve Brice. She had to focus her energies and stay on track. Anything less could make all the difference

"You ready partner?" She was hoping for less conversation and more driving. On the way back there was always a chance of finding that miracle. "How are her parents?"

Brackett had just walked over the group. "He regained consciousness and he has a concussion. We stitched both he and his wife up, they will be fine, physically at least. We had to put them in a room together."

"I didn't think that Alice's injuries were that bad?" Brice was curious as to how his diagnosis could have been that far off.

"They weren't but we had to give her a sedative. She is hysterical, not that anyone can blame her."

"Have the found that little girl yet?" Joe Early was asking.

"No, not yet. Their already forming search parties on foot and by car. By the time her mother told us about anything...she could have gone anywhere or with anyone." The tone in her voice was flat and unemotional. The others seem to understand; distancing yourself from the situation was a defense technique. It allowed a person for a time at least to maintain a level head, to think clearly.

"All of the hospitals have been notified and given a description. If she comes into to any of them in the County, the police will know almost instantly." Morton was attempting to look on the bright side of things, which harder for him because in many ways it was against his nature.

"All we can do now is pray." Dixie's usual bubbly demeanor was replaced but solemness.

A Bible verse was repeating itself in A.J.'s mind. _'Faith, Hope and Love are some good things he gave us and the greatest is Love.'_ That phrase had more meaning now than ever before.

**Packaging refers to getting a patient on a back board and then in a stokes or gurney, strapping them down so they are ready to go.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The crew of the 110 had been given permission to also join the search effort. The same conditions applied, all other dispatches that came in they had to answer. To their dismay they had too many; which was so frustrating. All of which were the typical nuisance calls. Some were medical calls that were any but emergencies and a few more dwellings that were in reality more over heated ovens that created a little smoke. Certainly the fire department should always be called when there is even a possibility of fire but in the same token there was a line that should be drawn and most of the public couldn't even differentiate.

"Brice, do you believe in prayer?" After hundreds of runs and shifts together as partners, she really knew very little about him. He let her in more than anyone else in the department but it still was only a mere slice of which he really was.

"It isn't that I don't believe in a GOD to pray to, I just never really decided one way or another." He knew how much she hated when he was cryptic but he didn't know what else to say. "Why do you believe...I mean you can't prove that it does anything or that anyone is listening?"

"I guess that is the definition of faith, a trust and belief in something that you can't wrap your hands around." She always disliked trying to explain what she just knew to be the truth.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just deal with facts and procedures better, its easier deal with those things."

"There were times in my life where I used my convictions to keep me from.....giving up." The whole truth was that there was a time where her faith and hope were the only things that kept her from giving up in the most drastic sense of the word. That and the knowledge of what it would have done to her family.

Sensing there was far more depth to what she had revealed, Brice reached over and for only a second, grasped her hand and gave it a quick squeeze. They allowed the silence to end the conversation and continued to focus solely on the slim chance of spotting something...anything that would bring that little girl home.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the other end of the search area 51's shift was almost a mirrored image. They had slightly fewer responses but just as many where nonsense. Their cross to bear this day seemed to be more vehicle accidents; none that were very serious in the grand scheme of things. The people involved were clueless the fact that if they had simply slowed down and had a little patience, the accident probably wouldn't have happened in the first place.

The sun had already set and the darkness was not helping matters at all. Now the shadows that had been in the minority were now blanketing the landscape. The temperature had already dropped significantly. Soon it would be cold enough outside for her to slowly suffer from hypothermia.

"Roy, do you honestly believe that this is going to turn out well?" One of the major pluses of working side by side with your best friend was complete honesty.

"I am really trying hard to; I guess my heart won't accept anything less." In the spirit of honesty, he continued. "Can I ask you something? When Vince was telling us about chances of Abby being picked up some sick pervert, all of us reacted, which is only normal. I happened to be looking at A.J. when he was talking and I don't know how to explain it but there was this look that overcame her...like she was taking it personally...does that make any sense to you?"

Keeping his gaze towards the window he responded. "What do you mean personally? We were all appalled by the very thought of that happening...." He hated keeping anything from Roy. There were times where he wanted to talk to him about what had happened to her, to let him vent about how he felt. That night when she opened up to him, if he had been able to find the sorry SOBs he would have killed them with his bare hands. Even now, sometimes it would be nice to have someone to sound off of.

His reprieve came in the disguise of the dispatcher's voice coming across the radio in the squad. Trying to redirect the conversation, Johnny grumbled, "No rest for the weary......"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The night had proved to be exhausting yet fruitless. In between emergency calls all of them had continued to search several different locations. Communicating to a central post, making sure every single inch of terrain was covered multiple times, to no avail. It was as if the child had vanished off the face of the earth.

Each responder had a tough time rousing up any Christmas spirit what so ever. How could they knowing that an innocent child was lost and her family was caught in this void, unable to move, not knowing if they would ever see their angel again. The men who had children of their own especially couldn't comprehend what it would be like to never have closure, to never know what happened to or where their child was.

None of them had gotten one wink of sleep. Oddly enough physically they each felt as though they could search forever. However their spirits and emotional reserves had been drained to critical levels. In either case they had to spend some time with their families, after all on Christmas Day they would be back on shift.

The last item to accomplish was taking their personal vehicles and loading them up with all of the much needed donations to take them to the new temporary distribution center. Everything still needed sorted and organized so each child that was being helped could have a surprise when they awoke Christmas Morning. The donations from the other areas had been collected yesterday. The only ones left were those from the fire stations, including 110 and 51. The _Toys for Tots_ volunteers and other workers were no slouches either; they were working 24 hours shifts the last few days before Christmas.

Johnny came to the 110 and waited for A.J.; they had decided to go over together. Captain Morgan had drove his van to work, so the rest of the toys fit into Johnny's Range Rover. They were the last to leave the station after cramming everything that was left into his car.

"Hey, are you alright?" He knew the answer but wanted her to talk to him. He had wanted to be with her last night, allowing her the opportunity to vent the storm of emotions that was no doubt brewing deep inside of her.

"I'm fine." Her voice held that lifeless tone that signaled her emotionally closing ranks and taking cover with in herself.

Reaching over he nestled his hand next to hers at first, letting her make the next move. She shifted hers slightly, intertwining her fingers with his. He somehow always knew when to push and when to let her sort things out.

"She just a child, Johnny.....an innocent child." This time her voice softened, just a little.

"One of the many things you have taught me is to never give up hope. That's what we all have to now, OK?" Her stoned face frightened him. He hated when her guard went up, it made her seem so wooden. She had spent so many years living with in that shell, he knew that it was second nature to distance herself from certain situations such as this.

"Her parents have spent sixteen hours, sitting in a hospital room, wondering if they will ever see her again. Hundreds, may be even a thousand people have been scouring every possible place and then the impossible ones. Yet nothing, not even one sign."

Taking in a deep breath she continued, "If she someone kind had found her, the police would have been notified or they would have at least gone to Rampart or another hospital. Which means that she could have been taken by....by....someone....who doesn't want to help her......."

He wanted to convince her that nothing like that would happen, not that she would believe him anyway. In their line of work, unfortunately they saw people more often at their worst, than best. That included those who were anything but innocent.

They dropped off their load and made some small talk with the staff. Then before leaving they wished them a 'Merry Christmas'. The drive back to the 110 was consumed by more silence.

"Oh Holy Night, the stars were brightly shinning...." The song was playing on the radio. It was one of their favorite Carols. Johnny was focused on the road, thinking about what his best friend had asked him. He hadn't lied to him, not this time. Roy had never mentioned anything before now. That didn't make him feel any better about the whole thing. He knew how difficult it had been for her to reveal her secret to him. In over ten years she had never told another single soul and had suffered in silence. He had no idea how he could ask her to be that vulnerable with anyone else. Not that Roy and Joanne were just anyone, they were family. She entrusted him with her heart and soul and no matter what he could never betray that trust, period.

She was gazing out of the window contemplating and praying for a sign, she had had this feeling from the start, that she was meant to find her. How, was the question at hand. Her mind was replaying Vince's speech about how the search would commence and the possibility of a sicko finding her before anyone else could. She had noticed Roy watching her curiously, he had seen something in her expression, she was sure of it.

Of course he couldn't have put together what it was, no one else other than Johnny knew. She was comfortable with that, however Roy being Roy wouldn't just forget about it either. The last thing she wanted was to have Johnny lie or keep secrets from his best friend. She didn't know the answer but was grateful for the momentary distraction.

Up head there were two bald eagles flying back and forth across the road, they caught both Johnny and A.J.'s attention.

"Would you look at that!" He had always been fascinated by the birds of prey. They were so strong and skilled hunters, yet had this intense grace about them.

"That is very odd. They are not particularly nocturnal creatures...." A memory came to her of one of the many times her Lakota grandfather had spoken to her about the eagle. "The eagle sees all and if you are blessed to see one when you need an answer to a question, look where it tells you, don't second guess it, Eagle always speaks truth."

Suddenly she sat up straight in her seat, her eyes strained, trying to peer into the darkness that surrounded them. "Johnny, slow down a little."

"What is it? What's wrong?" He couldn't see what she was concentrating on, since he couldn't easily take his eyes off of the road.

"Shhh, nothing is wrong. Everything is alright...." She squeezed his hand.

The landscape was that of hills that sloped sharply into valleys. They were quite beautiful. Along this road there were no street lights or any lights for that matter. They in the more rural area not far outside of Carson. The darkness was only pushed aside temporarily by the head lights of the car. The sky was cloudy, blocking most of the light from the moon and stars.

Just ahead there was a brilliant white light dancing against the darkness. It was such a sharp contrast to the blackness that it couldn't be missed. One star had pierced through, the light from it was illuminating the ground below, a considerable distance from the road.

"Stop the car!" She swung her eyes over to him, "Johnny, STOP the car, NOW!" She all but dove out of the door before the car rolled to a stop.

"What are you doing?!" He hadn't seen what she had, only her flinging the door open.

Lying, a few hundred feet off the road was something that didn't belong there. As she got a little closer, her heart began to sing....

"Oh, Sweet Jesus..." Could it be true? "Abby?"

At first she was running, as fast as her legs could move her, then as she approached, she came to a screeching halt. It was a little girl curled up, asleep on the grass, with a scruffy dog nestled beside her. The light from the star above was seemingly centered directly on the two of them. The dog immediately stood up and bared his teeth, protecting his charge.

"Easy....Ismu'...easy..." Then softly she began speaking in Lakota, "You've done good work, you are her protector. We are here to help, will you allow us to?"

Johnny had arrived by her side, his eyes beholding the same sight. At first it was Abby, then he caught the white teeth of the canine. "Watch out, be careful!"

"He won't hurt us....he's her guardian...he's protecting her." She never took her eyes off of the dog. He was extremely thin, and raggedy.

"Abby....Abby, honey....wake up..." She raised her voice, hoping to awaken the child.

The little girl's eyes fluttered open, unaware of the stale mate that was unfolding before her. She slowly sat up rubbing her eyes.

"Abby, my name is A.J. and this is Johnny...are you alright?"

Looking warily at the two strangers she said, "I want my mommy!"

"I know Sweetheart...I know....we are going to take you to your mommy!" Johnny was still not convinced that the mutt wasn't going to attack them. The dog's teeth were still bared and he was blocking their path towards Abby.

Looking over at the mangy dog, she called to him. He glanced back and moved to her side. His stare never wandered from the paramedics.

"Honey, come towards me, OK? Show him that we aren't going to hurt you." She knew the dog had to be homeless himself, judging by the matting of his coat and way she could easily see every rib on him.

"Can my dog come with me? He's my friend." For such a small child her words were clear and defined.

"Of course, Abby. We wouldn't leave him out here." She didn't have to look at Johnny to know he wasn't too happy about that part of the plan.

Under her own power little Abby walked to the car, her hand on the dog's neck, as he guided her along the way. When the back door was opened they both hopped inside.

Johnny got in the drivers seat and A.J. slide effortlessly into the back seat. Abby's _friend _seemed to understand that she was no threat. On the way into Rampart she did a basic initial exam of Abby. She was all considering in good shape. The dog had kept her warm in the chilly night air. She had a few scrapes but nothing appeared to be serious.

On the way in, the same Bible verse was running through her mind. "Faith, Hope and Love Are Some Good Things He Gave Us......"


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Upon arriving at the emergency entrance to Rampart General Hospital, Johnny dropped A.J. off with Abby. The Wonder Dog at first was none too happy about the little one leaving the car with out him. Then Abby gave him a hug and whispered something to him, which A.J. was very certain he understood. She carried the exhausted girl into the E.R.

There was a new woman at the admitting desk and she wasn't familiar with the paramedic. "Can I help you?" She was a bit snappy, when A.J. flashed a smile and kept on going towards to double doors leading into the emergency room.

"You can't just go in there! Now tell me what you need and then you can wait here!" She for a few moments challenged Wolfie by standing, blocking her path.

"Miss....Anderson, I am a paramedic, my name is A.J. and I assure you that I am authorized to go in with out _checking in_. I know you are just trying to do your job, but this is Abby; the little girl who went missing yesterday. One of the Docs, needs to check her out, both of her parents are here upstairs, I am sure they are going to want to see her." She left the other woman no option to protest any further and she continued in.

Dixie was at the desk, it was long past the end of her shift but as Christmas time normally is the day and night had been a long one. Everything from food poisoning, vehicle accidents, fires, and the list went on had been coming through the doors non stop. So she had agreed to extend the shift as did Doctors Early and Brackett. Besides the missing little girl had her in a funk as well, so it was easier just to continue working, keeping the horrible thoughts of what could have happened to her at bay.

She thought she heard some arguing in the admitting room, before she could think about checking to see what it was; a familiar figure came strolling in.

"A.J.?" Could it be true? Was she really holding Abby in her arms?

"Yeah, Dix. it's her. Do you think we could arrange some V.I.P. treatment from one of the Docs?" The normal beaming smile had returned to her face.

"I will personally grab one of them myself!" She happily hurried off to retrieve either Joe or Kel, whichever one she could find first.

Mere moments later both Docs. were jogging towards her. They looked like two kids in candy store, buying all the penny candy they wanted.

"Hey there Darling, there have been a whole lot of people looking for you." Joe reached out and with out reservation she curled her arms around his neck. He and Brackett took her into Exam Room 1.

"I'm not surprised that she let Joe hold her. He seems to have that affect on kids." Dixie had worked with him for more years than she cared to admit sometimes.

"Oh don't I know it! All of us cousins always begged to spend time at Uncle Joe and Aunt Marion's house. They were like second grandparents to us, complete with spoiling us rotten!" A.J. giggled, feeling a tremendous weight lift off of her shoulders.

Johnny came in from parking the car. "Hey Dix, do you have anything here, like a bowel or something to put water in?"

"What? You forget how to drink out of the water fountain, Johnny?" Dixie looked puzzled.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you about Abby's little friend." A.J. purposefully waited to watch Dixie frown, now completely lost.

"When we found her, this scruffy dog was curled up around her, keeping her warm. It was amazing; he was like her little security guard. No one was getting near here with out his express permission." Johnny had already grown fond of the little guy.

"In the Doctor's Lounge there are some cereal bowels." As Johnny left to find them she turned back to A.J. "What are you going to do with him? The dog not Johnny..." Dixie gave one of her broad grins.

"I am hoping against hope that Abby's family can take him in; it would be a great shame to split them up now! He is very thin; I don't think he's had a meal in a long time." She had a good feeling about it.

"For now though, I guess we'll take him to my Vet; they can give him a physical. If anything is wrong, then I'll pay to get him all fixed up." She already knew that if Abby's family couldn't take him in; he would be the newest resident to the animal crew she already had. "It's only right; after all he saved her life."

The Doctors came out of the exam room, judging by the huge smiles on both of their faces; it was good news all around.

"She's a little dehydrated and exhausted but other than a few scraps, absolutely nothing else is wrong with her." Joe could hardly believe it himself.

"Are you sure? I mean....nothing to show that someone did anything else to her?" A.J. needed to be certain, for her own reasons.

"We did a full exam and asked some questions. No, there were no signs of any sexual assault of any kind." Kel could understand why she would want to know, it was a disturbing possibility.

A.J drew herself up, trying to hide her immense relief. She was grateful for Johnny coming up to the group. "She's going to be OK, doc?"

"Yes, Johnny with a good night's sleep and seeing her parents again, she is going to be just fine." Joe was more than happy to repeat himself.

"I'm going to call Roy quick and let him know that we found her. Then he can call the others."

"Could you do me a favor? Can you call Brice too? Then he can make the same round of calls to my guys too." She took a pen and scrap paper from Dixie and wrote the number down. She was forcing her hands to steady themselves. It took everything in her not to be overwhelmed by her emotions right now. Everyone was relieved but not to this extent.

"Sure, no problem. Then we had better get going; the Wonder Dog is in need of some TLC." He walked over to the phone on the desk. He knew by now that no one would care that he was using it.

"Wonder Dog?" Now it was the doctors turn to be confused.

"Tell you what Kel, why don't we go up to her parents room and let them know that they have been given a bonofide Christmas miracle." Dixie could sense that the two paramedics needed some alone time.

"That sounds like a plan Dix. Do you guys want to come along up?" Brackett although a brilliant doctor was missing the signals that both Joe and Dixie had picked up on.

Johnny answered for the both of them. "Nah, give them some time together and we'll stop in at some point tomorrow. Abby is gonna be asking about Wonder Dog, just tell her that we are taking care of him and she can see him soon."

"This is the name and number of the Vet, Dr. Charles. We're going to take him there now. I'll tell him about the family, if they want to see him before we can pick him up. If there is nothing seriously wrong with him, we'll pick him up today and take him home for now at least, you know until we can find a good family." One way or another that mutt was going to have a warm house to spend Christmas in.

The drive to the Vet's office was filled with joy and relief. She sat on in the passenger side, periodically glancing back at Wonder Dog. He was now sleeping, now that his job was completed. He was one of those dogs who were so ugly they were cute. He wasn't that large, only medium sized, not really resembling any particular breed.

She allowed the burden of not knowing to be released from her spirit but didn't allow herself to really _feel_ any of it. She refused to walk into the Vet's office looking like she had been crying. There was one person that she entrusted to be completely raw too. The luxury she did afford herself was to take Johnny's hand in hers, feeling her skin absorb his body heat.

Once at the Vet's office, Johnny gently picked up 'Wonder' and took him inside where they explained the situation. The staff had come in, when A.J. called the emergency number, while they were still at Rampart.

"The expense doesn't matter; do whatever you have to for him. Then give me a call and I'll come back. Thanks again Doc., I really appreciate it."

"No problem A.J.; I think that is the least we can do for the little guy." Dr. Charles had worked on all four of her animals before.

The office was with in walking distance of Wolfie's house; well it was no longer just her house. Johnny's lease had run out, weeks after he proposed. It made no sense for him to renew it, so he had moved in with her.

He pulled into the drive way and they walked inside. They were both beyond exhausted, they could barely climb the stairs. Despite that each of them felt the need to brush their teeth and wash up a little. They hadn't had slept since the night before last.

Collapsing, they flopped into the bed. With out so much as a word between them, Johnny gathered her up into his arms, molding his body against hers. Now at last she allowed the raging storm of pain, angst, and relief to escape from the well of darkness that had been filled to the brink.

He whispered words of comfort in her ear and held her tight, so she could feel his presence, his protection. Reminding her that nothing in this world was going to get to her, with out going through him first. After a time, they both fell into a deep sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

She woke up lying in his arms, which was a most pleasant place to be. For a large portion of the year, she was almost always chilly. Johnny was almost always the complete opposite, which seems to be a trend between men and women. However, whenever he was next to her, whether in bed or snuggling on the couch; she was always toasty warm. Of course some of those times, she surpassed that to hot and sweaty.

Realizing that they both had fallen fast asleep she rubbed her eyes and blinked several times, clearing them. The display on the alarm clock startled her, the cob webs clearing from her mind.

"Honey...." She shook him gently. "Johnny....wake up!" He groaned and reached for her, pulling her back towards him.

"We don't have to work today, remember..." He was clearly not totally awake yet.

"No we don't but its 3:00 and dinner is supposed to start at 5:00. Jo is going to have our heads if we're late!" She ran her fingers through his curly, black hair, then leaned over and planted a long kiss on his lips.

"Ummm...what did you do that for?! Now I'm awake but dinner isn't on the top of my list of things to do!" He grabbed her again, this time pushing her down on the top of the bed. His lopped sided grin lit up his entire face.

"As lovely as a proposition as that is, I'll have to take a rain check." She gave him a look of feigned sympathy, when he put on his best pouting face. "Thankfully I already made the dessert yesterday; it's in fridge."

"Well that's all I am trying to do, is have a little dessert...." He batted those thick, black eye lashes at her. He had immediately noticed that her eyes once again held their usual spark of joy and contentment.

"Oh by the way, did the guys enjoy eating it today?"

"What, how did you know that? I sneaked it out while you were in the shower!" He never could figure out how she managed to do that.

"Actually, I didn't for sure, until now. It was just an educated guess; they all love my Cherry Surprise." She loved backing him into a corner, getting him to admit his little theft.

The conversation was interrupted by the telephone ringing. Johnny leaned over top of her, reaching for the phone. In doing so he 'accidentally' brushed across her chest, momentarily resting his hands there.

"Hello....yes, this is Johnny. Oh, Dr. Charles, how is the little guy? Really, that's great news! So we can pick him up in a few minutes......What is that? Well I'm not surprised! Oh, Merry Christmas to you too! Thanks again."

"So he's fine? Let me guess, a certain little girl and her parents beat us to it?" It was the outcome she had prayed for.

"Once again your intuition proved correct. Shortly after we left Rampart, the family was given their walking papers. Their first stop was to see Dr. Charles. Abby didn't even have to beg; her parents were eager to take him home. They are going to make fliers and post them just to be sure isn't just lost. It seems our name for him stuck. He is now officially ordained, 'Wonder'."

"Now back to dessert...." He playfully restrained her when she tried to sit up.

"We are wasting time as it is. They may be family but that doesn't mean that I want to go over there looking like a wreck!" He was giving her those 'puppy dog' eyes.

"Since we are so short on time.......maybe it would be more efficient to take a shower together?" She continued on to the shower, taking one piece of clothing off at a time.

"Now that sounds like a plan!" Johnny practically ran after her, giggling like a little kid that just won the best prize at the carnival.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

After they showered and dressed they gathered everything else together, the gifts, dessert, drinks and the two dogs. Joanne had insisted on making the entire dinner, so A.J. compromised and was firm in bringing dessert.

A.J.'s dogs always had an open invitation, the kids loved them and she was more than happy to bring them because it was about the only time that they were ever tired out. Her two cats preferred to stay at home and patrol the roost.

While they were scurrying around and during the drive over to the DeSoto's, A.J.'s mind began to wander. She thought about the fact that she was certain that Roy would have asked Johnny about yesterday, about what he saw in her expression. He was a good friend; no not just a friend, a lot more than that to her and Johnny. If she was in his shoes; she would have done the same thing.

That left her in unfamiliar territory. She loved Roy and Joanne but it truly wasn't a matter of trust; they already had hers. In fact what exactly _it_ was, well she really didn't know. If she were to be truly honest with herself, a part of her was still ashamed, not just about being raped but in allowing it to happen. That of course was completely illogical. After all there had been three of them and they were all high on Meth. or something like it. She had thrown moves that should have taken them done, knocked them out cold. She screamed and did everything humanly possible.

Another huge part for her was not showing weakness or being out of control. From little on up, she what she loved the most were things that the only boys did. Everything from shop class, construction and of course firefighting; all professions or areas where she had to work three times harder to prove she could do it. She had to in many ways, think like and act like the men that she needed to have respect her. Then after the rape; she had withdrawn into herself.

She had almost solely existed inside a shell. Her parents, grandparents, Uncle Joe, no one knew. Aware that the men who nearly destroyed her would doubtfully have been arrested much less convicted; she hadn't told any of them. Her grandfather more than likely would have done something stupid, making an already unbearable situation, intolerable. So instead the poison they had injected had festered for over a decade.

Not that she didn't continue living or enjoy life at all. In every other aspect of her life she excelled. Her family thought for a time that she was just going through teenage angst, she had learned hide it that well. It was relationships, particularly with the opposite sex that suffered. In fact she was never really in any such relationship, period. That all changed when she accepted that first date with Johnny.

He had done what she had come to believe couldn't be done; he awakened in her a desire that she had never experienced. She wanted him to hold her close, to kiss her. Eventually she had bared her soul, exposing the darkness that had been drowning her heart and inner being. He had been enraged, not at her for keeping the dark secret but at the brutality that she had suffered. It was then that she knew she could open up to him in a whole new way.

What had never occurred to her, until yesterday was how unfair she had been to the love of her life. There was an unspoken promise that he would never reveal her secret to anyone. She knew that but it had never crossed her mind that just maybe _he_ needed to talk about how it made him feel to someone else, to Roy. He was an unmoving, unswerving guardian; allowing her to express her emotions, be they good, bad or indifferent. She was aware that she was that for him too. Then how could she have not seen that keeping something so intense, so surreal could hurt him? Not to mention the fact that there was nothing in this life that he had ever kept from Roy, his friend and partner.

The drive had mostly been a silent one. The Christmas music was playing on the radio and since the actual drive was only roughly fifteen minutes or so, there wasn't enough time for it to seem especially awkward. The irony was that while she was lost in her own thoughts, Johnny was also dwelling on his side of the problem. How was he going to handle it when Roy brought it up again? He also loved A.J. in his own way and knew that something wasn't right. Lying to him about anything for any reason wasn't something he was comfortable with. However betraying her trust wasn't an option either.

Arriving at the house broke both their trains of thought. Right now each one promised themselves to push the dilemma in the back of their minds. It was Christmas Eve and they were going to have fun and spend it with family.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Uncle Johnny! Aunt A.J.! Daddy, they're here!" The cries of Roy's children greeted their ears before their little bodies greeted their eyes.

Since they fully expected the front 'assault' they had braced themselves for the impact of the children slamming into their legs, wrapping them in bear hugs. Not that either of them ever minded in the least, they loved them as much as if they were their own.

"So have the both of you been real good? Do you think Santa is going to stop by the house this year?" Johnny teased the two.

"Of course he will Uncle Johnny! He has to, we have been extra good!" Jenny announced with absolute certainty.

"Don't lie Jenny...you know Momma says that if she sees 'everything' that we do, then so does Santa!" Chris blurted out as his sister blushed.

"That's alright Chris, no one is perfect and Santa knows that too!" Wolfie had a hard time trying to look perfectly serious as she convinced the kids.

"Jenny, Chris, help them bring their things inside." Jo shouted from the kitchen.

"Alright Momma!"

They both eagerly grabbed the bags that contained the colorful presents in shinny wrapping paper. It was so cute to watch them march inside, acting all grown up.

As they came in the house, they took their shoes off. It was Joanne's attempt to maintain her floors. The kids seem to do their very best to wreck them anyway but at least it helped keeping some of the dirt and grime at the door.

"Hey did the two of you get any sleep at all?" Joanne was giving them same look of concern that she gave her husband earlier that morning.

"Yeah, we came home, laid down and didn't wake up until 3 o'clock!" A.J. had come into the kitchen to see what she could do to help.

"Roy crashed for a few hours when he finally got home too." She had known that he was going to get home later than usual, for a good reason.

"We had to drop off the Wonder Dog at Dr. Charles before we went home." Johnny told them.

"Oh and we never had a chance to pick him up. The family came and got him, they said that she had been begging for a dog for weeks, they were going to get her one for Christmas. How's that for irony?" Wolfie was so very happy that it had worked out this way.

"That is great! One more little miracle for the season!" Roy had chimed in as he came from putting their coats away.

The small talk continued as Joanne put the finishing touches on the wonderfully smelling meal that she had prepared. A.J. had persuaded her to allow her to help, which only amounted to her pouring the water into the glasses on the table.

The food was fantastic which of course was not a surprise at all, Jo was a fantastic cook. The enjoyed everything from the turkey, filling, five different kinds of vegetables, homemade bread and desserts in addition to what A.J. had made.

"So, Roy told me that the little girl was alright, that it was a miracle in itself that she really had no major injuries from the crash or from wandering around town all day and night." Jo had been worried sick for little Abby since Roy had called home to tell her what had happened. As a mother it made her ill even thinking about what she would do if that happened to either of her own kids.

"Yeah, it was something, she was curled up just sleeping with that mutt, gently wrapping around her. She could have died from hypothermia otherwise." Wolfie could sense Roy's eyes watching her closely.

"If she hadn't told him that we were trying to help her, I think he would have been inclined rip our faces off." Johnny could still clearly see those gleaming white teeth.

"What do you mean, told?" Roy was curious.

"She called him over to her, with us just standing there. Then she whispered something in his ear and just like that he backed down. It was truly amazing." Johnny shook his head, still finding it hard to believe it himself.

The conversation continued and then went on to other topics as everyone relaxed, taking in the atmosphere and just enjoying themselves. Roy continued to watch Wolfie more closely than he normally would have, especially while the discussion had been about Abby and her ordeal. She could see the worry in his eyes; no one could convince him that although she was laughing and joking around, that there wasn't something underlying. He knew his friend well and could feel that something was causing her pain. He also could see that Johnny was just as uncomfortable; this only made him more concerned.

After dinner, the kids begged and pleaded. "Momma, Daddy can we please open presents now?"

"What about tomorrow? Don't you want to wait and open them, the same time you open the ones that Santa's going to bring overnight?" Roy teased them. They were keeping some of them for tomorrow morning before Roy left for his shift.

"Nooo! Uncle Johnny and Aunt A.J. won't be here tomorrow! It would just be rude to wait!" Jenny had her little hands on her hips, trying to emphasize her point.

They all laughed loudly at her antics and conceded that the children could open the presents from their aunt and uncle. They tore into the packages; there were three for each of them. Although their parents would probably say they were spoiling them, in reality it was three smaller presents that they simply wrapped individually to make it seem like more to them.

A.J. and Johnny had picked out crayons, coloring books, and different puzzles. Things that required little supervision and would hopefully give their mother some down time, once and a while.

After saying their thank you, they were off to other parts of the house to play with their new found wealth and what ever other toys they could get their hands on. Neither of them was curious in the least as to what the adults had gotten. They had their source of entertainment, which was fine by them. No doubt the adults had stupid gifts anyway, after all if you couldn't play with it then what was the point.

Both couples had bought Christmas presents for the other two, beyond those were the ones that they had each bought for their significant others. They were gathered at their feet, ready to open.

Roy was usually quite tactful but he could no longer ignore the growing pit in his stomach. There was a tension in the air all night, it just couldn't be ignored. He hadn't even explained much of his plight with his loving wife, there hadn't been much time since he had come home.

"Alright, now what is up with the two of you? Something has been brewing for the last 24 hours. I'm worried about you." He focused his stare at A.J. Meanwhile Joanne just looked on with confusion.

"Roy...." Johnny was trying to find the words to back his partner down. He of course realized that he was only trying to help but this wasn't going to go well at all.

Placing her hand on his Johnny's chest A.J. responded, "It's alright, I knew he would ask sooner or later." The calmness in her voice surprised him. It wasn't that same lifeless tone, it was different than that.

"Roy, I know that you saw something in my demeanor last night, when Vince was talking to us.....up until that point I thought I was covering up pretty well..." She trailed off not really knowing how to explain and how much information to give.

Suddenly he was almost afraid for her to answer his question, her eyes had changed. Their normal radiance was almost instantly replaced by a shadowy darkness.

"Look I'm sorry, if I have overstepped...."

"No Roy, you're family, you both are." She made sure to focus on Jo as well.

"You were right, when you thought there was more to my reaction than what everyone else was feeling."

She turned her attention to Johnny who was still trying to find a way to help her out of the situation. "Honey, it's alright. I know he talked to you last night; it's only logical that he would have. I also know that you would never betray me, you shouldn't have to be put in this position."

"A.J., your really beginning to scare me!" Jo had no clue what so ever as to what the three of them were even talking about.

Looking at her finger nails as if they were the most fascinating things in the world she continued, "When you asked Johnny about what you thought you saw....he didn't want to mislead you....he would never lie to you, unless maybe if it was for me."

"He didn't tell me anything at all. We were interrupted by a call that we were dispatched for."

She looked up, trying to force herself to look him in the eye. "Johnny knows something about me that no one else in this world knows. I never actually asked him to keep my secret but at the same time, I knew that he would."

"I haven't been fair to you." Her hand was gripping his, "It never occurred to me that you might need someone to talk to, not just anyone but to Roy. I won't let this get between the two of you, that wouldn't be right."

Roy was watching his normally confident, spirited friend disappear before his eyes. This person was someone else entirely; her eyes had even darkened to an almost lifeless shade of gray. What could she be hiding from everyone? What could scar her very soul to this degree?

Meanwhile Jo was frozen on the chair where she was sitting. A.J. was one of her best friends, yet she had no clue what was going on. What had happened last night to cause Roy to worry this much. Usually he was the one scolding her for meddling in their friends lives.

"When I was a teenager something happened to me....three men chased me down in a pick up truck; I was walking back from a town that was off the reservation. They jumped me; they were very strong......they were high on Meth or something. Then they told me that I was just a half breed squaw and having blue eyes didn't make me white......they needed to teach me a lesson."

Her mind was reeling; she was fighting to maintain some level of control. Even after all of this time, she couldn't separate herself from the event. Recalling it took her back in time to that day, in that moment. The emotional terror, the physical pain of them beating her down, then repeatedly violating her again and again and again, every single second felt as though it were happening right here and now.

Johnny slowly pulled her curled frame towards him, careful to make sure she realized it was him touching her. He had witnessed this reaction before; the night she told him what had haunted her for so long. It scared him then as it scared him now; he could not even begin to fathom how she had managed to live on in spite of what happened. He didn't know what to do for her; she was barely aware that anyone else was even there.

Her voice now once again had that listless tone, "Two of them held me down as the other one raped me.....they all took their turns and then came back for seconds........" She was vaguely aware that Johnny was holding her.

"Oh Dear GOD!" Joanne was never known to be at a loss for words but this, this was something she could barely register.

Addressing Johnny; Roy stammered, "I am so sorry.....I had no idea...I wouldn't have pushed her to say anything if I had realized...."

"You didn't do anything wrong Roy; you were just being a good friend." Johnny reassured his partner, while gently rocking with his fiancée.

Joanne moved to embrace her and he held up his hand stopping her.

"Just give her a minute, alright?" He gestured to make sure she understood that her kindness would be misinterpreted at the moment.

As the assault in her mind concluded, she slowly became aware of her surroundings once again. The stares and looks of pity from her friends were apparent now. She was instantly embarrassed, once she realized that once again she had lost all control; leaving her feeling lost and out of control.

Sitting up she gave Johnny a look of gratitude, once again he had been the buffer between the past and the present. She fought the urge to sprint out of the house and keep on running, indefinitely.

"I'm sorry....I'll be back....I just need some air....."

She left them there, wondering what to say or do next.

Roy in a million years could never have foreseen what he had just been witness to. He wanted to find the bastards who tortured her and kill them, not beat them with in an inch of their lives but to take their lives from them. He desperately tried to push away the image of Joanne suffering through such an ordeal; he couldn't bear to even go there. Pushing aside his own rage he looked into the eyes of his best friend.

"I understand now.....she was terrified that Abby might suffer the same horror that she did...."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Look Johnny, I am so sorry. I never...I never even thought that it was anything like....that....." Roy was still in shock, he had never seen this side of her before. She always exuded such strength; now she had looked small and frail.

Joanne got up to go find A.J. Before Johnny could stop her, Roy gently grabbed her wrist. "Honey, let her be for now."

"Roy she's hurting, I just want to help her." The description of hurting didn't give justice to what she was going through.

"Jo, I know you want to be there for her but please trust me; right now she needs time to gather herself, to think things through.... This has happened before; when she opened up to me for the first time...." He still was unsure what to say to them.

"I never would have known, I mean before last night...." Roy was simply at a loss.

"Roy...please stop. You didn't do anything wrong. You knew something was wrong and you only wanted to help. It's just that she has never been able to distance herself from what happened. When she talks about it, it's like it's happening all over again." Turning to Jo he explained, "Right now she is feeling humiliated. She couldn't control her emotions, her reaction and she's hating the fact that she couldn't."

"That's crazy! She has nothing to be ashamed of! We're family Johnny!" Jo was almost offended that either one of them would even think that.

"She knows that; she feels the same way about us. She just has to deal with this in her own way." Roy reassured his wife.

A.J. sat outside on the back porch; she hadn't taken the time to grab her coat. It was far from arctic but it wasn't exactly warm either. Although normally she would have been freezing, oddly now she barely even noticed the temperature.

"DAMN!" She said out loud. She was sure that she was going to be able to talk about it; with out falling apart, with out making a fool out of herself again. It was different when it was just her and Johnny. In front of her friends she wanted to tell them, at least some of it but not this way, not while falling apart.

She absolutely despised the look of pity on their faces, in their eyes. That was the last thing she wanted from them. Their reaction was normal and human; that didn't stop her from wishing that she could have taken it all back. Then she thought of Johnny, she couldn't...no she wouldn't continue to take advantage of him. She still wasn't sure how she could have missed his pain and angst over all of it. Roy was his confidant, his partner, and his friend. Of course he would have conflicting emotions and thoughts. He would want to turn to the one man whom he trusted to shared everything with.

What made her even more angry with herself was that she was still crying. The tears felt hot running down her slender face. She just wasn't the type of person to cry or be demonstrative with negative emotions in front of other people, at least not usually. How was she going to walk back in there, after sucking all of the life out of Christmas Eve?

"Aunt A.J., What's wrong? Why are you crying?" A little voice penetrated her thoughts.

Looking up she saw the worried face of little Chris. His eyes were so bright and full of life.

"Did Uncle Johnny's present make you cry?" He had seen momma's reaction when Daddy bought her things. Sometimes she would cry and hug him, which confused him and Jenny both. After all getting gifts never made either of them cry.

"No Darling, I haven't even opened my present from Johnny yet." She couldn't resist smiling at the little boy.

"Then why are you crying?" He looked like he wanted to run and find his parents to tell them. "Jenny come out here!" Instead he yelled for his sister.

"I was just thinking of something very sad that happened at long time ago. I'm OK, really Chris, it's alright." She wiped the remainder of the tears off her cheeks.

"Jenny, Aunt A.J. is crying! Something was making her sad!" He informed his sibling, with dramatic gestures.

"What made you sad?" Jenny's attention was now completely focused on her.

"Oh, it's just when I was a lot younger; some people hurt me very much. Sometimes, it makes me sad to remember that."

"Who hurt you? You tell me! Daddy, Uncle Johnny and I will find 'um!" He may have only been a young child but he was quite serious, no one should get away with hurting his Auntie.

"They can't hurt me anymore, Chris. Don't you worry; it was a very long time ago, before you were even born!" She attempted to add a small grin, with a lighter tone in her voice. A part of her had such a feeling of pride that even little Chris and Jenny had volunteered to be her guardians.

The children flung themselves into her arms; they clung to her like two monkeys on a tree. They loved her with all of their might. She was always so nice to them and she did really neat things with them when they stayed at her house. Besides she made Uncle Johnny happy and they loved him just as much. Then on either side of her cheek, they each gave her a sloppy kiss.

"You wanna know something? I love to get hugs and kisses but yours are 'magic'!" This time she didn't have to force a broad smile.

"Magic? Whatcha mean?" Jenny was curious.

"When you and your brother give me such big hugs, it always makes me feel so much better, even if I am thinking of sad things!" She meant every word; these children were indeed Heaven sent.

"Well I think that I had better go back inside so your Momma, Daddy, Uncle Johnny and I can open our presents! How would the two of you like to help me unwrap mine?"

"Yea! I bet Uncle Johnny would let us unwrap his too!" Chris didn't have to asked twice and Jenny was right on his heels.

"She probably won't talk about it anymore, at least not tonight. Just let her talk about it, if or when she wants to." Johnny said this to both of them but it was meant especially for Joanne. She was the sweetest woman but sometimes her need to be helpful 'bordered' on meddling.

"Doesn't Joe know?" Roy knew how close she was to her uncle.

"No, not Joe, her parents, grandparents, no one knows. She only confided in me after months of us being together."

"Why didn't she tell anyone? Were they ever arrested, did they go to trial?" Joanne inquired.

"No, she didn't because she was sure no one would believe her, the Sheriff certainly didn't. You have to try and understand; the attitude was that no white man would ever stoop to touching a half breed, much less have sex with one." His voice expressed his rage. He had grown up facing the same hateful prejudice and ignorance.

Their conversation was interrupted when the sounds of laughter filtered in the room from the other side of the house. The kids were obviously having a good time and the loudest laughter was unmistakably Wolfie.

The three entered the living room or rather Wolfie walked in with two lively decorations hanging off of muscular her arms. Her blue green irises were once again vivid, and her inner radiance had been restored.

"These little monkeys found me! I the only way they would let me go is if I promised to let them unwrap my presents for me!" She gave one of her prize winning smiles.

"Hey Uncle Johnny, do you need help unwrapping yours too?" Jenny battered her blue eyes.

"I think that could be arranged!" Johnny wasn't surprised at all that the children had brought the light in her eyes back.

A.J. sat on the floor, in front of Johnny. She took both of her arms and slung them around his lanky legs, sitting between them. As their parents opened the gifts that she and Johnny had bought for them; Chris and Jenny were tearing at the ones that Roy and Jo had bought for each of them.

Joanne opened up the top of the box to reveal a basket full of goodies. Included were bath soaps, lotion and perfume; all were completely natural. A.J. made these beauty products as a hobby and she knew exactly what scent to make them with, Wild Rose.

"Oh, I LOVE IT!!! This is fantastic! Thank you so much!" She had been hoping for exactly this. Then she popped open the lotion and inhaled, oh how wonderful it smelled.

"Well Roy, how do you like it?" They had bought a large canvas bag, with an embroidered star of life and stocked it with first aid medical supplies. Of course nothing as in depth as what the squad carried but far more than the basic civilian first aid kit.

"Oh WOW! This is great! How did you manage this?"

"Most of the items are available to the general public. We just figured by putting a kit together to make an upgraded version, you'd feel better about having that around just in case. With this you could actually accomplish something until help arrived." Johnny grinned at the expression on his partner's face.

Chris handed Johnny his present, still at least in it's box. His eyes grew wide as he pulled out the contents. It was a tackle box loaded with everything you could need for fly fishing; including lures, line, flies and a new pole.

"Oh my! This...this is too much!" He stammered.

"You know I am not totally unselfish, Junior. I expect to be able to borrow from that once and a while, when we're out on the lake!" Jo had been right; this was the perfect gift for him.

Now Jenny handed the striped box that belonged to A.J. Upon opening it she found a few different items. One was a t-shirt with a picture of two little chicks on the back, adorned with fire helmets. Across the bottom was the phrase, "Firefighter Chicks Kick Ash!"

A.J gave it to Johnny to take a look, while she drew out the rest of the items in the box. Inside was a cookbook, a copy of the one that Jo keeps flipped open at all times in the kitchen. The other was something that really took her breath away; it was a photo album, with a Maltese Cross and Star of Life on the top of it. Inside some of the first pages were filled with pictures of the four of them vacationing together and cook outs with the rest of the gang. There were plenty of pages left blank to fill up with others.

"Oh my word! Where did you find this? I have never seen anything like it! This is awesome.... Oh, you two!" Her eyes were gleaming.

"Jo found a catalog, where you can send in a picture or drawing and they custom make the covers." He was so relieved to see her face full of joy; the darkness had disappeared as if it had never been there. He now realized that although it constantly resided in her but it wasn't what defined her either.

"Momma, you open what Daddy got for you!" Jenny shouted.

"Alright Honey," She picked up the small bag, with a huge bow on it. It was a shinny silver and inside was a jewelry box, with a ribbon around it.

As she opened it up, she drew a deep breath; she couldn't even speak at first. That was a definite sign that she was both surprised and quite happy about what he had chosen for her. Anytime that Joanne DeSoto was speechless, it was indeed a minor miracle.

It was a white gold pendant, small circle with four gemstones, each one represented hers, Roy's and the children's birth stones. The chain was diamond cut, so it sparkled in any light.

"Roy....this is gorgeous!" Then with a giggled she continued, "I knew there was at least one good reason why I married you!"

Now it was Joanne's turn to watch her one and only discover what lie inside his box. Like most men he tried to downplay his eagerness while he carefully tore off the wrapping paper.

"Jo! This is wonderful!" Underneath the wrapping paper was a bottle of his favorite cologne and a vintage fire helmet from the 1800's. "Where on earth did you find this?" His voice was giddy. Once she had told him that she hated that she had to buy his present with 'his' money. He quickly reminded her that if she were to get paid for the endless work she did with the kids and the house that she would be making three times what he was.

"Believe it or not, it was a yard sale! I knew you would love it!!" She had gotten it for almost nothing.

The last of the presents to open up were what Johnny and A.J. had bought for each other. A.J.'s was in a purple gift bag, with a gold bow and Johnny's was in a medium sized box. They both began unwrapping them at the same time.

He opened up his box to find tissue paper galore and amongst that was a smaller box. Looking over at her with mocked look of annoyance he noticed that she was waiting for him to open his up, so she could do hers at the same time.

Upon opening the jewelry boxes open, they both began to laugh hysterically. Jo and Roy stared at them with confusion. When they each turned the boxes to show their friends what was inside, they started laughing with them.

In each box was identical sterling silver pendants, Maltese Crosses with Caduceus (the two snakes), the symbol of the paramedic program in the center.

The rest of the evening was filled with jokes, stories and laughter. They all reveled in the festivities, enjoying each other company and giving thanks for all that they had in their lives.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The evening had ended earlier than usual because three had to be on shift the next morning. Neither of them lived all that far from their stations but it still took 20 minutes or so to go there and there shift started at 8AM. That meant getting less sleep than all of them really needed. Their cat naps had only taken them so far, now they were completely exhausted.

The dogs were more than ready to go home as well. Jenny and Chris managed to wear down their eternal energy to an all time low and considering that they were Jack Russell Terriers that was quite a feat.

Johnny drove the Range Rover into the bay and turned to his sleeping Fiancée; the drive wasn't long, however it was more than enough time for her eye lids to grow heavy. He opened the car door and the dogs quickly leapt to the front seat and ran into the house, through the doggy door.

He sat there for a few minutes and stared at her. She was truly the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on. She was gracious both in her physical looks and her spirit. Every inch of her was streamlined, yet curvaceous. Her facial features were softly angular and her eyelashes thick and dark. She was muscular, more so than the average woman, yet she was feminine.

He lightly traced his fingers along her high cheek bones and down the bridge of her nose. She had full lips that were naturally fire engine red. Her skin was so soft and supple. It wasn't perfect; there were some slight scaring from her teenage years and an angry looking scar along her hairline, it was mostly hidden by her flowing bangs. She had earned that when she and Brice had been in a horrific accident in the Squad. Those small imperfections only made her even more gorgeous to him. Even this close he could smell her perfume; the light floral scent of Lilac.

"Tehila, we're home, come on Honey, let's go to bed." He gently shook her by the shoulders.

Her eyes fluttered open, and then she squinted because of the light inside the bay. "What....Johnny?"

He walked around to the other side of the car and opened her door, then helped her to her feet. "Come on sleeping beauty."

They walked inside and straight into their bedroom. The last few days were behind them and tomorrow had yet to come. In one way it sucked working on Christmas Day but in another way it was kind of nice because they could spend it with their extended family, the fire department crews.

A.J. was still half out of it; she could barely kick off her shoes, much less get out of her clothes, although her spirits were lifted to an extreme high. The rest of night had gone wonderfully. She still was somewhat nervous about Roy and Jo's future attitude towards her from here on out. However that was for another time. Right now she was home, safe with the man of her dreams. This night's sleep wouldn't be long enough but after tomorrow the A-Shift had four days off in a row.

Johnny had already undressed and had climbed into bed. He looked over at her and saw that she was standing beside the bed fumbling around with the buttons on her night shirt, which was in reality one of his that she liked to sleep in. She finally accomplished her task and climbed into bed next to him. In the next few minutes all four critters had joined them on the California King Size bed. They lay together curled up in each others arms, allowing the day to leave their minds and slip into a peaceful sleep.

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The next morning came all too soon, and Johnny was getting ready for the beginning of his shift at Station 51. Surprisingly, he was actually right on time; he didn't have to rush around to get changed. This was another benefit to moving in with A.J. Although she wasn't exactly a morning person, she was at least organized. Normally, they would ride in together in the morning to Station 51 and then she would sling her back pack on and run the rest of the way to the 110. Like clockwork with few exceptions she ran at least five miles a day; rain or shine. The stations weren't quite that far apart but it was better than nothing.

"Hey Junior, your bright and early, I figured that you both would be dragging this morning, you didn't get any more sleep than I did." Roy seemed almost jealous.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, she drove her car this morning 'cause she couldn't motivate herself to run in this time!" Johnny grinned, knowing that Roy was aware of how rare that was.

They headed into the bay where Captain Stanley always did the morning inspections. The other men were all there, chatting about the previous day. Each of them had been elated to find out yesterday that little Abby had been found safe and sound. That only made the time with their family and friends more joyous.

Stanley walked up to his men, content to listen to their conversations. If he couldn't be with Emily and the kids, this was the next best place to be.

"Alright gentlemen, I am glad that all of you enjoyed your day off. Today we are going to take a load off. In between calls we are going to take the day off, so to speak. There won't be any chores; it appears that everyone seems to have brought leftovers in, so it looks like other than reheating the food and doing the dishes, it is going to a free day."

Although this announcement was completely expected it still brought cheers from the men. Normally during shifts, unless it was there was an unusual low call volume, there was plenty to fill up their day.

The day progressed with the typical calls, especially for the holiday. There were few vehicle accidents, accompanied by a couple of cooking accidents where there ended up being more smoke than fire. None of them were real serious or was anything that required a whole lot of work on their part.

In between they snacked on the plentiful amounts of goodies, everything from cookies, candy and other pastries. Lunch and dinner consisted of sampling food made by their significant others and of course Marco's mom. They enjoyed each and every bite.

Johnny was lying in his bunk that evening, he was thinking about how hectic the last week had been and how everything had turned out for the best. He now knew that he could talk to his best friend about 'everything' in his life, which brought a huge amount of relief for him.

The Chief had called to let them know that not only did the 'Toys for Tots' people have enough to replace all of the items; there was a surplus that they gave to Rampart, so that the kids in Pediatrics had something to brighten up their stay in the hospital. The news had made the day even sweeter.

Now as he began to drift off to sleep when something flashed into his mind, causing him to sit straight up in his bunk. With out trying to he let a groan, loud enough to catch Roy's attention.

"Hey Johnny, you alright?" His tone was mixed with concern and annoyance because he had woken him up.

"Oh man! I can't believe it!"

"What is it?" Roy whispered, what could have him so worked up?

"What am I going to do? It's in ten days!"

"What is in ten days? Come on Pal, spit it out, already!"

"Her birthday...it's January 3rd. What on earth am I going to buy her?"

With a sigh, lying back down in his bunk, Roy muttered. "Here we go again!"

**MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPIEST OF HOLIDAYS AND BLESSED NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU. Thank you for reading my little story. Please leave reviews!**

**Let me know if any of you want me to send you the extended, unpublished version to this chapter!  
**


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